Precursors
The Precursors are an ancient race consisting of Ottsels; they are the central deities of the Jak universe. The Precursors assumed that if the people knew their true identities that they wouldn't be admired as gods, so they created a mythos and pretended to be large humanoids with anteater-like noses and large eyes. The Precursors are worshiped by the Precursor Monks, who protect Precursor technology (supposedly) from the Metal Heads. History Before the series The Precursors were behind the creation of the world in which the Jak and Daxter series takes place. They created the planet and Eco, as well as the entire universe. The planet's creation wasn't finished completely, as seen in the Brink. It is said in The Precursor Legacy that the Precursors, despite their powers over Eco, could not control the destructive and mutating properties of Dark Eco. During the cutscene, Gol and Maia reveal that they can control Dark Eco, when Samos replies, "You can't control Dark Eco by itself! Even the Precursors..." This implies that the Precursors themselves couldn't control the substance by itself. This could explain the purpose of Dark Eco Silos. This statement is also proven true by the Dark Makers who are actually Precursors corrupted by Dark Eco. ''The Precursor Legacy'' In Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, the Precursors spoke to Jak and Daxter through the Oracles, each one asked for 120 precursor orbs in exchange for a power cell, with each Oracle having two power cells. The Precursor didn't really activate, but the Lost Precursor City and a lot of ancient Precursor technology were seen. ''Jak II'' The Precursors were supposedly born from The Precursor Stone, but the Precursor that emerged from the egg in Jak II was later proven to be just a projection. So the "Precursor Stone" may be another part of the myth that the Precursors created. It is worthy to note that it was a desire of Metal Kor to feast upon the last Precursor stone, and since the Metal Heads were responsible for the destruction of the Precursors, Metal Kor would probably know a Precursor egg when he saw one. A possible explanation is that the egg hatched a second time, after the projection, into a true Precursor - an Ottsel. Another possibility is the projection is in fact some kind of power force. The "Stone" found by Jak had enough power to activate the giant gun Mar designed to open the Metal Head nest. And according to Vin; if the Stone were to be violently cracked open, the energy inside the Stone would be enough to destroy absolutely everything in existence. ''Jak 3'' The Precursors were finally revealed to be Ottsels during a cutscene towards the end of Act Three of Jak 3. During this cutscene; three Ottsels - the Ottsel Leader, Ottsel Surfer and Ottsel Dummy - in what appeared to be some sort of control room for a large Precursor Robot began to argue, causing their projection outside of the robot to malfunction. Some time during their off-camera squabble the Ottsels accidentally opened a door mechanism. The Precursors didn't notice the door to be completely open until after Veger, Jak, and Daxter had spotted them inside of the robot, much to their dismay. The Precursors turned Veger into a Precursor, making him an Ottsel. The Ottsel leader told them to attack the Dark Maker Ship, so they could use the Planetary Defence System defeat it eventually. When Jak did this, the Precursors left in the Space shuttle, after having transformed Tess into an Ottsel (as well as giving Daxter pants) and telling Jak he had 'many more adventures ahead'. Overview Characteristics The Precursor artifacts seem to have an elephant-looking head and an ant-eater looking snout, as seen on the Oracle and Precursor artifacts. Precursors themselves, however, are Ottsels, and seem to have Eco channeling powers. Due to their vast powers over Eco, they can create Eco in places there was once none, though this ability is seen only where Eco is already made, and they can imbue people with the power of Eco. They can also turn people into Ottsels like themselves and detain people, as seen when Veger tried to question the Precursors' power, and even create clothing for those they turn into Ottsels. Society The society of the Precursors is unknown, as they are currently extinct. The Precursors have their own Precursor alphabet, although this is simply normal English text with different symbols. Habitat As they are extinct on the planet (now that the Ottsel trio have gone), the Precursors' habitats are unknown. The Precursors were only seen in the Precursor Core at the center of the world, although a Lost Precursor City was seen in The Precursor Legacy. It can be presumed that they inhabit the cores of all worlds. Technology Weapons The precursors are known for their wide range of artifacts, though there is only one well-known weapon and that is the Precursor Robot; a ten meter tall robot, armed with lasers, missiles, bombs and an incredible endurance. There are other precursor weapons, an example is the Dark Eco bomb, the very first artifact seen in the series. Furthermore, they had the Planetary Defence System, which could destroy a Dark Maker Ship. Vehicles The only seen Precursor vehicles are the Catacombs Car, and the space shuttle. They mostly used Teleport Gates to get around, and possibly other methods; it can be presumed they have networks of Teleport Gates in which to get around. They also use Rift Rings, which can be seen to travel in time, although all of these have been destroyed. Devices Well-known devices are the Teleport Gates, power cells and precursor orbs. Perhaps the most story-relevant one is the Rift Ring, the time-travel device that brought Jak and company to the future (and a younger Jak back). Aside from these there's also the Oracles, used to communicate with people. At least two instances of people using a precursor artifact are known; Count Veger who had a staff capable of activating Precursor Robots, and the Ottsel leader who had a staff capable of turning people into Ottsels. Aside from this, use of Precursor artifacts was mainly seen during gameplay. Trivia *Despite Precursors being the major Deity of the Jak and Daxter games, several characters mention "God". Daxter cries out a feeling of lack of appreciation by saying "For God's sake" and even Jak, curiously, says "Oh my... God" right in the Precursors' presence once they are discovered to be ottsels. It should be noted that the Precursors name have been used (i.e. by the Precursors). *Ottsel Dummy appears to be quite surprised that the Precursors are the "Most powerful beings in the universe", and the others shush him hastily. One could elaborate that Precursors are not the most powerful beings or that they are only the most powerful when technology is taken into account. However, it should also be taken into account that this ottsel is known as the "Dummy". *The French version of the game is the only version where Jak does not say "Oh my God" following cultural practice: using the name of God in such a way could be likened to a swear, and thus he says Oh j'hallucine ("I'm hallucinating"). However, Daxter and Vin still mention God despite Precursors being the major Deity of the Jak and Daxter series- the former when he is about to be taken into Vin's computer in Jak 3 (Oh bon Dieu, pourvu que ça n'arrive jamais ! = "Oh good God, may this not happen!") and the latter when he is saved by Jak and Daxter in the mining area (Merci mon Dieu = "Thank you my God"). *Despite oftentimes being referred to as "rodents" or "rats", the Precursors and other ottsels would be, in fact, mustelidae, due to being a hybrid mix between an otter and a weasel. Category:Factions